Laurier Students Fundraise with Rock for Habitat

What do building homes and a night of rocking out to bands at The Ford Plant have in common? Nothing; at least not until Caitlin Cuffari, a second year Journalism student at Laurier Brantford found a way to tie the two together. Cuffari decided to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity Brant by putting on a benefit show after being inspired by her mother’s involvement with the organization.

“My parents both own a coffee shop in the Ottawa region, Timothy’s. They do fundraising twice a year, and all proceeds from lattes go towards Habitat for Humanity. My mom’s store raised the most money in all of Canada, and she won a trip with her co-workers to Costa Rica for a two weeks and built a home for an underprivileged family.”

The show was put together by Cuffari and Katie Brewster, a second year Contemporary Studies major. The evening will consist of a combination of three local artists and bands, including Dan Losier, April Sky, and Toaster Jam. The show will take place March 26 at 7:00pm at the Ford Plant, and tickets are $7.00 in advance, or $10.00 at the door.

Cuffari’s goal for the evening is not only to get a good crowd out for the cause, but also to show Laurier students what the Brantford community has to offer.

“I want to link Laurier to the Brantford community with the show. I think there is a connection, but on a different level that is more mainstream. We get a whole lot of student support for local establishments like NV and Jackhammers, but when it comes to an alternative community like “I want to link Laurier to the Brantford community with the show. I think there is a connection, but on a different level that is more mainstream. We get a whole lot of student support for local establishments like NV and Jackhammers, but when it comes to an alternative community like The Ford Plant, there’s two or three kids that come out on a regular basis.”

Cuffari described being involved in a local music scene as more intimate than a club setting. “People should just get out there and check it out,” she said. “It has a lot to offer and really great people are involved with it. There are lots of great bands in this city and we shouldn’t underestimate it.”

When it came to working with Habitat, Cuffari and Brewster had no trouble getting a favourable response.

As for future plans to work with Habitat for Humanity, Cuffari is ambitious. “In fourth year I’d like to make an actual campus organization devoted solely to Habitat Brant and get a group of students together that are interested and actually build a home in the Brant area. This money we’re raising at the show won’t be nearly enough to build a home, but it’s a chunk, and we can give it to Habitat Brant to use for whatever they want.”

When Cuffari and Brewster originally approached Linda Moyer, Re-store manager for Habitat for Humanity Brant, Moyer explained that she was excited to see “young energy that’s willing” and was especially enthusiastic because it reminded her of a previous show a student put on in the past for Habitat Brant at J’s Place.

“The money raised from the show will go right towards the build we’re working on,” Moyer said. “We’re looking at raising $400,000, and every bit counts.” For anyone interested in throwing a third party event for Habitat for humanity, Moyer explains that it could be anything from running a car wash or having a dinner for the cause. “There are a number of different ideas. It’s unlimited, so you can be really imaginative with the possibilities.”